It was announced on Friday, August 25, 2017, that Andrei Iancu has been nominated for Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Iancu will replace Joseph Matal, who has been serving as interim Director since Michelle Lee’s resignation in June. Andrei Iancu comes from […] Earlier this month, the US Trade Representative (USTR), Robert Lighthizer, released a detailed and comprehensive summary of the negotiating objectives for the US’s forthcoming renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The text of these objectives are available in a press release here. In particular, the USTR seeks to add a substantive section […] In AdjustaCam v. Newegg, No. 2016-1882 (Fed. Cir. July 5, 2017), the Federal Circuit reversed the denial of attorney fees based on the Octane Fitness standard, determining that the trial court had abused its discretion by not awarding fees. AdjustaCam (a subsidiary of NPE Acacia Research) had sued Newegg for infringement of U.S. Patent No. […] In late June, three Democratic senators (Chris Coons (D-DE), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI)) and one Republican senator (Tom Cotton (R-AR)) introduced the “STRONGER Patents Act of 2017.” This bill appears to have been motivated by a recent report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that had been heavily critical of the U.S. […] On June 12, the Supreme Court also handed down another patent-related opinion in Amgen Inc. v. Sandoz Inc., a case dealing with the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act, a small 17-page subchapter contained within the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”). This subchapter deals with generic “biologics,” very-large-molecule drugs typically synthesized from biological sources such as […] On June 12, the Supreme Court granted certiorari in Oil States vs. Greene’s Energy Group, et al., a case dealing with the constitutionality of the post-grant challenge procedures established by the America Invents Act (AIA). The Federal Circuit, below, had upheld the constitutionality of these procedures. The petition for writ of certiorari submitted by Oil […] In TC Heartland LLC v. Kraft Foods Group Brands, LLC., 581 U. S. ____ (2017), the Supreme Court substantially narrowed the law of patent venue, preventing a patent owner from filing an infringement suit against a defendant in any district court where the defendant is subject to personal jurisdiction. Instead, patent owners will only be […] On June 12, the Supreme Court granted certiorari in Oil States vs. Greene’s Energy Group, et al., a case dealing with the constitutionality of the post-grant challenge procedures established by the America Invents Act (AIA). The Federal Circuit, below, had upheld the constitutionality of these procedures. The petition for writ of certiorari submitted by Oil […] The Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Michelle Lee, announced her resignation from that office on June 6th. Lee announced this action by an e-mail to the employees of the USPTO, sent with the subject “Farewell,” and reading as follows: Dearest Colleagues: This afternoon, I submitted my letter of resignation from […] Federal Circuit Rules that Patent Holder Cannot Evade Patent Marking Statute with Retroactive Statutory Disclaimer In Rembrandt Wireless Technologies, LP v. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., No. 16-1729 (Fed. Cir. 2017), the Federal Circuit determined that a patent holder could not use a retroactive statutory disclaimer to avoid having to fully comply with the patent marking […]